MERCEDARIANS. - A religious order founded by St. Peter Nolasco in 1218 with the purpose of redeeming Christian slaves held by the Moors. St. Peter Nolasco, with the protection of King James I and the counsel of St. Raymond of Peñafort, received the white habit in honor of the Virgin on August 10 in the cathedral of Barcelona from the hands of Bishop Berenguer de Palau, together with his first companions.
The king granted the order his royal arms, which, together with the Cross, formed the order’s coat of arms. Nolasco established that not only all the goods and activities of the institute were to be dedicated to the liberation of slaves, but also, as the first Constitutions express, «all the religious, as sons of true obedience, should be readily disposed at all times to give, if necessary, their own lives, as Christ gave His for us» and that each religious should take upon himself the obligation to remain a slave himself in order to free another who was in danger of losing the faith (the fourth vow). The order was approved in 1235 by Gregory IX, who assigned it the Rule of St. Augustine.
Initially, the order had a predominantly military character and, in its first century, was governed by lay Masters General; but from 1317 onward, as the motives for redemption diminished, it was led by priestly superiors. Soon, families and individuals joined the order as confrères, aiding it with donations, collecting alms, and providing care and assistance to the freed, the sick, and pilgrims in the order’s infirmaries. To this end, a second female branch of the order was founded in 1265 through the initiative of St. Mary of Cervellon.
The order spread throughout Spain, France, Portugal, and Italy, especially in coastal cities, and carried out its redemptive work first in Spain and then in North Africa, where the Moors held Christian slaves. With the discovery of America, it contributed greatly to its evangelization, through Friar Giovanni de Solórzano, who accompanied Columbus on his second voyage to Santo Domingo; Friar Bartolomeo de Olmedo in Mexico; Fr. Bovadilla in Panama; Fr. Marco Perez Danton in Guatemala; Fr. Giovanni de Salazar in Argentina; Fr. Antonio de Almansa and Antonio de Solis in Chile; and others in Peru and Ecuador.
At the beginning of the 17th century, the Discalced Mercedarians emerged, dependent on the Superior General of the Calced branch, as well as the enclosed Mercedarian nuns under the Blessed Mariana of Jesus.
The order reached its greatest numerical and cultural development in the 16th century but later declined due to revolutions, the Napoleonic wars, and various persecutions and suppressions. Fr. Pietro Armengaud Valenzuela, elected Superior General in 1880, became the new restorer of the order, reforming its Constitutions to establish that, while retaining its original purpose of redemption, the institute would expressly dedicate itself to missionary work, the Christian formation of youth, and works of charity and social assistance (prisons, reformatories, rehabilitation centers, etc.).
Among the saints of the order, besides St. Peter Nolasco, are St. Peter Paschasius, bishop and martyr; St. Serapion, martyr; St. Peter Armengol; St. Raymond Nonnatus, cardinal; St. Mary of Cervellon and of Succor; and the Blessed Mariana of Jesus. Among its theologians and writers are: St. Peter Paschasius (d. 1300); Fr. Natale Gaver (d. 1474); Fr. Domenico of St. John (d. 1540); Fr. Girolamo Perez (d. 1549); Fr. Gaspare de Torres (d. 1583); Fr. Francesco Zumel (d. 1670); Fr. Silvestro Saavedra (d. 1624); Fr. Pietro de Oña, bishop of Gaeta (d. 1626); Fr. Giovanni Falconi (d. 1638); Fr. Ambrosio Machin, archbishop of Cagliari (d. 1640); Fr. Alfonso Remón; Fr. Gabriele Téllez (Tirso de Molina, d. 1648); Fr. Pietro Armengaud Valenzuela, bishop of Ancu (d. 1922); and Fr. Manuel Sancho (d. 1936).
The order currently has 9 provinces and 3 vice-provinces; it maintains missions in Brazil, Ecuador, and Puerto Rico, and has 4 houses in the United States for the assistance of Italian emigrants.
FEMALE BRANCHES OF THE ORDER. - In addition to the two ancient branches already mentioned, there are: the Mercedarian Sisters of Berriz (q.v.) in Spain; the Mercedarian Sisters of Charity (Spain) with 109 institutions including sanatoriums, hospitals, hospices, leper hospitals, prisons, and colleges; the Mercedarian Missionaries with houses and colleges in Spain, Ecuador, and Peru; the Mercedarian Sisters of the Child Jesus with various colleges in Argentina; the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy with numerous houses for assistance, education, and hospitals in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Chile, and especially in Italy; the Mercedarian Sisters of the Holy Eucharist, dedicated to Eucharistic worship, with houses in Mexico, Havana, Spain, and Italy; and the Mercedarian Missionary Sisters of Brazil, who cooperate in the missions of the Piani.